So you don't believe that there is such a thing as white privilege?

Meet Cameron Terrell, 18 yr old wealthy white male that left his million dollar neighborhood and 2 million dollar home to join a crip gang in south LA. He drove himself and 2 other gang members in his father’s Mercedes Benz to a rival gang territory to do a drive by. After spotting a young black male (Justin Holmes) standing outside, Cameron and his 2 new gang buddies decided to kill him. Cameron is not in jail like the other two young black males who committed this crime with him.
Cameron was acquitted because they said he was just fascinated with gang life. For example, he read books on gang life and wanted to see what it was all about. So I guess the young black male that he helped kill was just a casualty of his research...

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

@Steven said:
The summary doesn't really jibe with the actual story linked.

What was the racial make-up of the jury?

Seriously, do you really think if he were a black kid he would have been given the opportunity to even present the argument that he was just fascinated with gang life and was simply studying it?

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

Would this hypothetical black kid have had rich parents and been living in PV? Is it privilege? Or is it the circumstances of the kid's upbringing make it possible that he was just some wannabee riding along?

Anyway, wouldn't the prosecution still have to prove that the kid knew what was going to go down?

Seems to me that they should have gone after aiding and abetting, although the guy could have said he was under duress, I guess.

I think if the white kid's lawyer had gone to the DA and begged for a deal for some kind of accessory charge and probation and they gave it to him, that would have been white privilege. But LA county put the kid on trial for murder. The fact that he wasn't convicted could be for any number of reasons, not least of which is that he didn't kill anyone.

The venue question is an interesting one to me. Venue in LA county depends on where the crime occurred. But it can be moved. The Venue for OJ's trial was the Santa Monica Courthouse. The DA moved it to the downtown courthouse, undoubtedly because they were concerned about the ramifications of an all-white jury for OJ. Looks like this one was downtown. Chances of an all white jury would be fairly slim. But we aren't told.

@Steven said:
Would this hypothetical black kid have had rich parents and been living in PV?

Wouldn't matter. Rich black people are constantly harassed for "looking out of place" in white neighborhoods. Hell a girl had the police called on her for napping in her dorm.

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

How was he not part of any conspiracy?He drove them to the shooting, waited for them to complete the shooting and provided the getaway. If he were black there is no way anyone would have believed he didn't know what was about to happen.

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

@Buford said:
The article says he thought they were going out to do some graffiti not murder someone. I don't believe he would take is dad's Mercedes Benz out to murder someone.

Only black people would do that.

Exactly. Thus the privilege.

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

@Steven said:
Despite the diatribes, I'm still missing how this guy got off because he was white. Seems he got off because he was innocent.

Whether a black 21 year old from Palos Verdes in a Mercedes would have been found guilty is only conjecture.

Conjecture supported by history and statistics.

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan

How was he not part of any conspiracy?He drove them to the shooting, waited for them to complete the shooting and provided the getaway. If he were black there is no way anyone would have believed he didn't know what was about to happen.

I agree that there was at least a legal case against him, but that doesn't mean the jury was likely to convict. Like I said, LA county put him on trial for Murder. That's all they could do. The jury just didn't buy it.

He should be in jail so we can prove we're not all racists. In fact, let the two young black men go as a sign of good faith. You guys are still stuck on facts, while the rest of us have moved on to good intentions and white guilt.

Admit it guys, you should all go home and just open up your house to anyone that wants to come in and take your stuff as punishment for being born the color you are.
**** our parents for having us and teaching us to work hard for what we have!!!!

@sherb said:
The venue question is an interesting one to me. Venue in LA county depends on where the crime occurred. But it can be moved. The Venue for OJ's trial was the Santa Monica Courthouse. The DA moved it to the downtown courthouse, undoubtedly because they were concerned about the ramifications of an all-white jury for OJ. Looks like this one was downtown. Chances of an all white jury would be fairly slim. But we aren't told.

That was a big deal with the cops on trial for beating Rodney King in L.A. as I remember. Rodney got off the freeway at the _wrong _exit, outside the city, ensuring a suburban jury. Inside the limits, the cops get blacks on the jury.

Comic, you are not a mind reader. Does white privilege exist in some cases, of course. Was it in effect in this particular juries minds'? You don't know. That's the jury system. Argue about what you can prove.

@Buffco said:
He should be in jail so we can prove we're not all racists. In fact, let the two young black men go as a sign of good faith. You guys are still stuck on facts, while the rest of us have moved on to good intentions and white guilt.

@Steven said:
So you have a statistically significant sample of wealthy black people being found guilty of murder?

The only one I can think of got off.

Annnd we're back to OJ. This thread should have ended there.

So Pakistan once had a woman president. Do you think that means Pakistan is a good place for women's rights?

'I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life. …In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.'" Ronald Reagan